


A Bad Day To You, Sir

by bearinapotatosack



Category: The Maze Runner Series - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Crossdressing, Depression, F/F, Grief/Mourning, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, Instagram modelling, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Newt has a secret life, Non-Graphic Violence, Suicide Attempt
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-07-02
Updated: 2019-04-26
Packaged: 2019-05-28 01:25:06
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,272
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15037664
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/bearinapotatosack/pseuds/bearinapotatosack
Summary: Thomas is beginning his new life in London, new job, new friends. New life. But the big London Life wasn’t all it cracked up to be when he gets hit with the harsh reality that not everyone is a ray of sunshine. Because of his new revelation, him and his new colleagues become detectives and try to find out why their grouchiest office inhabitant is so grumpy.





	1. The Suspect

**Author's Note:**

> I started a draft of this and then i lt was deleted when I was real close to the end, so now I have some more free time I’m going to try and rewrite this with as much accuracy as the first draft.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> On Thomas’ first day he meets an unfriendly character.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I almost finished this and then it got deleted so I have to rewrite this as closely as I can remember to the original.

His alarm went off with a shrilling sound, the sun beamed through a gap in his curtain and his eyes felt as if they were sealed shut with concrete. Gradually, his eyes opened and adjusted to the light of his room; there were still silhouettes of boxes in the corners of the room. 

Only recently had Thomas moved to London, but despite the large change in size he had never felt happier, finally he had escaped the clutches of his small minded father and his soul-sucking business. His father, Rick, had given a small deadline of only a month and a half to find himself a new life outside of the family. Even though a month and a half was a short amount of time to start a new life somewhere else, he still appreciated that his father had granted him more than a mere three weeks like he’d awarded his sister. 

Thomas had always wanted to travel, so when his mother, Paula, had persuaded his father to give his son a chance to make a life of his own; he took the sign and accepted the challenge that came with moving to a new country. He was thankful for his mother sometimes.

Finally, he got the motivation to get up, he went to the toilet and brushed his teeth before getting into his running clothes. Despite London being one of the easiest places to get lost in, Thomas had picked up his old hobby of running once more, his bodily care had increased since he'd become independent. His running gear consisted of a pair of black shorts, a yellow luminescent t-shirt, a black running jersey and some trainers. He strolled into the kitchen and grabbed a breakfast bar to give him small boost of energy for his run which he ate whilst picking up his keys.

As he turned around from locking the door, he noticed how empty the usually full corridor was, probably from the time being before six o'clock. People slept in apartments and hushed breakfasts were being eaten behind doors. He hopped down the concrete stairs to act as a pre warm up in the slightly chilled air of the harsh corridors. The glass door was slightly cracked from years of constant abuse from drunks in the night. He pushed the door open and began to jog on the stop as he turned his stopwatch on. 

Running to his left he started his workout.

* * *

 Stopping once more infront of the apartment block, he stopped his watch, 8.5 minute miles. He was running at his fastest speeds he’d ever remembered being at. 

Even though it had only been half an hour, the corridor was a lot busier that it had been before. To save his legs he hurried into the elevator and huffed as the fatigue kicked in.

* * *

 As he tredded to the bathroom for  a shower, his legs began to ache, he’d taken a rougher route- he was regretting that now. The door creeked open as he entered, the radiator had been on and was heating the towel. 

The heat of the shower soothed his aching calves, a small groan of pleasure escaped his mouth.

”That is pleasure right there,” he mumbled getting a mouth of hot water. He washed his hair and body and stepped out of the shower. After drying his body speedily, he walked into his bedroom to clothe himself in the plainest clothes he’d ever had to wear. 

A grey blazer.

Grey trousers.

A white shirt. 

A black tie and socks.

And to top off the rainbow of greys, black shoes- shined thoroughly. 

He turned clumsily in the mirror to check himself out. 

“Not to sound narcissistic, but damn! I look fine!” Thomas blurted as he saw the time on his watch. 

7.15. Time for breakfast.

* * *

 The kitchen was the most modern part of the small apartment, it was clad in white with red accents of the toaster, kettle and microwave. Opening a cupboard, he pulled out two pieces of toast and a mug which he made his morning coffee in. 

Hopefully the caffeine would heal his aliments.

Hopefully.

As he waited for the toast to pop up, he reminded of his route to work. He was starting his first day in the Tourism Temporary Visa Department. It was only a few tube stops away from his home in Clapham and his father had been over the moon to hear that his son was working in the US Embassy. 

The toast popped up and, surprisingly enough for him, Thomas caught it. 

“I definitely have Ninja skills,” He sang as he buttered the toast and sat at the breakfast bar to hurry down a simplistic breakfast. The luxury of the bread sunk into his mouth as he realised how hungry he truly was. Combined with the coffee, he was truly satisfied. 

Almost dropping his coffee, he realised the time. 7.35. How could he be late? It was his first day at a new job and he was running late after appreciating some toast?

”Unbelievable,” he muttered under his breath as he poured the coffee down the sink and dumped the ceramics in the sink. “Now where’s that briefcase?” 

Trotting around was not helping his calves but it helped him find his briefcase easier. Now all he had to do was run to the door, the easiest part of the journey. Getting his maps on his phone, he managed to leap into the elevator without falling over. 

Running to the train station around the corner, he quickly swiped his Oyster card and managed to catch the appropriate train for his journey. He’d double checked the signs and he was 99% sure that he was correct.

* * *

 He was thankful that there were no delays on the trains because he’d made up for lost time and was back on track. Now all he had to do was take a short walk to the US Embassy and get to his floor. 

The building stood tall infront of him, being slightly intimidating if he was honest. All he had to do now was walk in and get to the right floor. 

“Huh,” He breathed out as he took in the modern interior whilst heading towards another elevator. ‘If I want to stay fit then I need to start taking stairs’ he thought as he stepped in and pressed the button for the sixth floor. Gradually the space became more cramped as he attempted to stay at the front. A light bing alerted him that he had arrived, anxiety now kicking in. 

The reception of this floor was similar to the one below, if not smaller and less staffed. Suddenly he stopped, confused about where he was, all the doors looked the same and the signs weren’t helping. He placed his stuff down as he gathered his bearings, a gentle tap on the shoulder broke him of his daze.

”Where are you trying to go, Sir. You look lost,” a smiling woman stood behind him with her long, pale blonde hair in a tight ponytail and a crisp blue dress. He was thankful for the given help.

”I’m starting my new job today and I’m trying to get to the Tourism Temporary Visa Department,” The woman’s smile only grew in length, mirroring the Cheshire Cat’s. He couldn’t decipher whether she was laughing at him or whether her smile was purely fake.

”If you go through the glass doors at the bottom of that corridor,” She pointed forwards. “Then turn right, it will be the third door on your left,” 

She left him with a smile and a soft push in the right direction, he began his trip once more. The corridors were surprisingly short for how the large the building looked.

* * *

 Taking a deep breath, he opened the door to see a taller, asian looking man heading towards him. He gave off a shocked look before breaking into a piercing smile that seemed to fill the air.

” _Eyadiya_! Hey Teresa, I told you they wouldn’t be late on his first day!” The enthused man shouted to a brunette women at a computer near by, she reminded him of a girl he used to know back in Minnesota. “Anyway, I’m Minho, want me to gift you with a compulsory tour?”

”Sure, I’m Thomas by the way,” He laughed slightly, glad with the relaxed atmosphere. 

“So the break room is though there,” He pointed to a room the top right corner of the office and continued to speak whilst pointing to the workers of the office. “This here is Brenda, she’s a tech nerd who couldn’t get the technician job,” 

Brenda smiled, she wore a simple white blouse with a pair of flared navy blue trousers, her hair was short brown and her desk was cluttered with pictures of family.

”Winston, a first aid wiz who knows all the biz!” 

Winston looked like a small dude whose desk was covered with sticky pom-pom maskots with googly eyes. He wore a simple red shirt and black trousers.

”Teresa on the Visas,” 

Teresa looked like a strict woman as she was dressed in a sharp blue and grey dress with black blazer and black wedges and her hair was pinned up in a bun. Despite all this though she warmly smiled and continued to work. 

The rest of the office consisted of: Frypan, a Michelin Star Chef to be; Ben an athlete in training; Alby, the department manager.

“Finally, here’s Newt, the man with no capability to smile,” Minho gave a teasing smile before showing Thomas to his desk. “Just ignore Newt, he’ll ignore you anyway,” 

Thomas returned his gaze to Newt, the man had replied to Minho’s comment with a roll of the eyes and a middle finger. Now, his headphones were replaced over his ears and he was tapping on the desk whilst filling in a form on the computer. His hair was messy and the dark bags under his eyes made him question his time-keeping skills.

Thomas opened his briefcase and brought out two photos of his family and his turtles, secondly he placed all his stationery in a pot with his flag of the Minnesota Vikings. Sitting down, he logged onto the computer with the login Minho had put on the desk and readied himself for his first day. 


	2. The After Work Drink

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Thomas’ first day is over and he celebrates with his new friends as he tries to get over the new obsession he has on his co-worker. While drinking, Thomas starts to question whether he has a crush on Minho and if his feelings are requited or not.

The day went by at an irregular pace, for the most part, it flew by when he was speaking to his new co-workers but over time he realised why everyone was either listening to music or multitasking by talking and working. Filling in forms to allow people to visit the country seemed to be a lot more tedious than expected.

The main conversationalists of the office hovered around everyone and made quick insults to pass the time. The office atmosphere felt calm and warm; most of the day was filled with laughter which made a change to his old work life back at home in the outskirts of Minnesota.

Even though ninety-nine per cent of the office were happy, his neighbour tainted the atmosphere. As the jokes created louder responses, he emitted larger grumbles, his inner elderly man was getting more annoyed. Despite it being an attempt at getting everyone to quieten down, they just imitated the grumble which then spouted more groaning and so on and so forth. After a while, Thomas got sick of the petty competitiveness and tuned out- even he knew what was going too far.

* * *

 Over the day, he learnt a bit about every person who worked in the office, like how Minho had lived in both Korea and America or how Brenda was fluent in Spanish due to her adoptive father being from Mexico. He was happy that he wasn't the only one who had emigrated from America- albeit they had a lot more time than he had and parents who were supportive than his.

The traffic below zoomed past, it remained busy throughout their lunch hour and into the afternoon. During the lunch hour, his colleagues proved their kindness once more by explaining the benefits of the break room. The room was medium in size and contained an arrangement of tables, chairs and a small kitchenette in the corner.

Every so often someone in the office would do a drink run, they’d hurry into the break room and return some ten minutes later with a tray full of drinks- this routine was the only thing Newt seemed to take part in.

* * *

 At five in the afternoon, Thomas finished his last document and signed off of his computer. He pushed backwards and stretched his arms before grabbing his briefcase and filling it with his few belongings. Just as he was about to get up and leave, he felt a tap on his shoulder and heard Brenda yell his name.

”Hey, Thomas! Come with us, we’re going for after work drinks since you just completed your first shift, we know a great place that overlooks the Thames which has cheap drinks,” She raised her eyebrow and smiled as he took up her offer. The group of workers began to exit the building, his focus yet again drifted to the only person who was hurrying despite it being the end of the day- Newt. ‘ _That man sure fits in with the stereotypical busy London life_ ’ he thought to himself, Thomas then asked the group.

”Does Newt always rush off like he’s being chased or does he just enjoy looking stressed?” Trying to add humour to the query as to not seem like he was obsessed with the man. He was already being ridiculed for asking questions about him, but Thomas saw no harm in inquiring. Newt was the only person in the office who hadn’t shared at all, and although he respected his privacy, all he knew was his name!

With a chuckle, Minho threw his arm around Thomas’ shoulders and replied, “I’ll answer if you stop asking so many questions about him, you’ve barely known him a day and are already obsessed with him!” They shared a look of agreement and Minho continued. “For as long as we’ve all worked here he’s always rushed off, isolated himself and just generally been mysterious,”

“Really?” Thomas raised his eyebrow, maybe he was just a big fan of those tough action- movie stars.

“Really, now if you have any more questions, please go to Alby, he’s known Newt for the longest,” With that, Minho retracted his arm and moved forwards slightly as they began to go quickly towards the bar.

* * *

 As they reached the bar, Thomas realised how modern his new surroundings were. The front-facing wall was made entirely of glass and the insides were a calming blend of industrial and rustic styles. To say the least, he was pleased about where he’d chosen to live. They entered the bustling bar, found a row of free seats and Alby bought the group of them a round of drinks.

“Here’s to Thomas surviving the first day!” Their boss cried as they all cheered, downing almost all of their drinks instantly. Teresa settled next to him and began to chat about life and their childhoods.

She chuckled as he told her a story about his younger brother Chuck accidentally hitting a bee’s nest, “Your family sounds nice, you must miss them,” Her face dropped slightly as if she was reminded of something harmful.

“Oh, they’re alright, Dad’s a bit harsh but I guess it’s tough love,” Thomas huffed and took another swig of his freshly bought beer before asking her a question. “What about you?”

She took a shaky breath while sipping her white wine, “My Dad was never in the picture, my Mom died when I was around twelve, I was put into care until I was eighteen where I came to London for University,”

Silence overtook them as Thomas processed what she'd just said, their eyes met as he quietly mumbled. ”That’s a lot to go through, you must be strong, ”He was fighting the urge to say ’I'm sorry,’, he knew that people often became sick of hearing those words.

”It gets easier, the hurt doesn't go away but it gets easier,” She sipped her wine before putting on a small smile and continued to speak. ”Well, I'm not going to keep you all night, I’ll see you later,”

He waved as she picked up her wine and moved to sit opposite Brenda. Thomas turned towards the bar, feeling homesick slightly as he watched his coworkers laugh together. After a few minutes, he felt a tap on the shoulder, swivelling around, he saw Minho.

He couldn't help but admit that the man was handsome, with his tanned skin and eyes that glittered whenever he came up with another sarcastic quip. When he’d first set eyes on him, he was drawn to the defined muscles in his shirt- he couldn't help but imagine all the time he spent in the gym.

”Thomas!” Minho’s face exploded into a smile as he slid into the stool that Teresa was previously sitting on. ”You’re looking kinda sad for a guy who's meant to be celebrating,”

They shared a chuckle as Minho took a long swig of his beer, Thomas’ eyes were drawn to his throat as he swallowed and the beads of condensation rolling down the neck of the bottle. ’ _I can't have a crush on him already, I only met him today,_ ’.

”Whatcha thinking of Tommy boy, you seem miles away,” Thomas was broken from his hazed love trance to answer the question. His eyes flickered to and fro as he tried to come up with an excuse that wasn't ’ _I was thinking of how attractive you are and the horrendous crush I’m developing on you_ ’.

”Erm, just homesick,” Thomas coughed out as he smiled, pleased with his relatively quick thinking. ”I moved pretty quickly so it's just sinking in that I’m on my own now,”

”You’re not alone though,”

Their eyes met as Thomas’ mind went blank, he wasn't expecting that.

”You’ve got us, and from what I can see, you’re already getting along with Teresa,” Minho continued, he softened his gaze and smiled gently at his new friend. ”I’m here if you wanna talk,”

He stretched out a hand suggesting that he wanted him to open up. Carefully, Thomas placed his hand nearby and rolled his almost empty bottle of beer along his thigh.

With a sigh, he began to talk, ”My Dad gave me a month to get everything sorted, housing, job, everything,” Minho’s eyebrows shot up, obviously understanding the pressure he’d been put under. ”Yeah, I haven't had time to think or do anything apart from moving and getting a job,”

”When I moved I had loads of time, my family helped me get all of my stuff and even stayed with me while I got my apartment sorted,” Minho shook his head slightly in disbelief as Thomas realised that maybe his Dad wasn't giving him tough love after all.

They sat in comfortable silence for a while, purely enjoying each other's company. It was surprising how well they got on considering that they had only known each other for a day. Then it happened.

When reaching for another beer, their hands grazed each other, a spark seemed to flow through his veins as they failed to move their hands away from the other. Clumsily, they met eyes and shuffled their hands away. ’ _Maybe this crush isn't so irrational after all_ ,’ He pondered while Minho took another long, smooth swig of his drink.

”I guess you're right, I've got you guys now, I’m not alone, ”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that I don’t update chapters enough but here we go, I like keeping these chapters short so they’re easier to write and because they’re not too serious like The Show Must Go On.


End file.
